Arrangements are lining up for Fallon Fox and her next MMA bout, as she’ll reportedly face regional fighter Allanna Jones in the Championship Fighting Alliance on May 24.
MMA Fighting recently spoke with the CEO of the Florida-based promotion, Jorge De La Noval, who stated that Jones didn’t immediately take the bout:
“Everyone’s following the story on Fallon obviously because of the controversy, but, the fact Allanna is stepping up and taking it is huge,” [Noval] said.
De La Noval said he has spoken with Jones several times in the past week as she weighed her decision. He said that she was always in favor of taking the bout, but first wanted to hear the concerns of her coaches and managers.
Outed as a 37-year-old male-to-female transgendered athlete, Fox’s name has been widely circulated around the Internet during the last few weeks.
Stemming from a Sports Illustrated article from veteran MMA journalist Loretta Hunt, the controversy around Fox’s original gender is well-known both inside and outside the sport.
Some argue that Fox has natural physical advantages due to growing up male and transitioning early in her 30s, while others debate the opposite due to the various heath risks involved with her physical changes.
Due to the unusual implications of Fox’s medical history and past paperwork, her fighter’s license is currently under review by the Florida State Boxing Commission.
The FSBC is expected to make a ruling soon, although Fox will not be barred from competition unless the commission decides to intervene.
Either way, De La Noval tells MMA Fighting that any sudden legal issues with FSBC won’t dramatically affect the CFA‘s next event, as the card has plenty of other talent available besides the company’s famous/infamous transgendered fighter.
To be honest, we’re not basing our next event on that specific fight. We have such a strong fight card that if it drops, well, we know we can’t base the card on one fight. It is what it is. If she gets licensed, she will fight. And if she doesn’t, she won’t. We have a very strong card.
CFA 11 will be held at the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Fla., featuring a match between Strikeforce veterans Mike Kyle and Valentijn Overeem.
There will also be a continuation of CFA‘s all-women’s tournament, which will also award the winner with the company’s 145-pound women’s championship title and a $20,000 cash prize. Aside from Fox and Jones, the semifinals also include Peggy Morgan vs. Ashlee Evans-Smith.
CFA originally announced Fox vs. Jones on April 1 via Twitter, but the bout has only recently been reconfirmed in the wake of Fox’s license issues.
Notably, Allanna “Hands of Stone” Jones will be the most experienced fighter that Fallon Fox has faced so far, carrying a 2-1 professional MMA record and 6-2 amateur ledger. By contrast, Fox is undefeated at 2-0 with a single amateur victory.
McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist. His work has appeared in NVision, PC World, Macworld, GamePro, 1UP, MMA Mania & The L.A. Times.
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